Living in the Moment
by craklyn
Summary: Hermione, Charlie, some wine and a moment. My second fic. Reviews are welcome.


**Living in the Moment**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'd love to own a few Weasley boys, though.

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><p>Hermione had never been to his apartment before. She ran her hand over the smooth surface of the kitchen counter as he opened a bottle of wine. The room was grey and brown, with red tiles. It was muggle style but no muggle could have lived there; the room was full of traces of magic. She had a feeling that he hadn't been washing the dishes by hand since he turned seventeen.<p>

She had ran across Charlie in the Diagon Alley, and learned that he had gotten an apartment from Muggle London, not so far away from Leaky Cauldron. When he invited her to see the apartment, she was a bit hesitant at first, but decided to go anyway, one glass of wine wouldn't hurt. She hadn't seen him since the Final Battle, and although she didn't know him that well, she had always admired him. He was always ready for mischief, quite like the twins, and his eyes often twinkled with laughter, but he did have a serious side to him too, and it showed in how dedicated he was to his job. Working with the dragons also gave him an odd mysterious quality that enchanted her.

"So how long have you lived here?" Hermione asked as she accepted a glass of white wine. She mirrored Charlie´s moves as he took a sip from his glass before he answered.

"Nearly two months. How come you didn't know?"

"Umm, well, I don't go to the Burrow as often anymore, so I guess I'm a bit left out of the happenings in the family."

"But aren't you with Ron?" He lifted his eyebrows and they disappeared under his slightly overgrown hair.

"We broke up. Months ago. Turns out I love him like a brother but that's about it", she stated with a matter of fact voice, but her cheeks were tinted red.

"Oh", Charlie dropped his eyes back to his glass before he continued, "Well, I guess things don't always go as we expect them to go. Or almost never."

Hermione looked at the man leaning on the kitchen counter just a few feet away from her. He wasn't that tall, but in her perspective anything taller than her was tall; height wasn't one of the traits she had been blessed with. He was covered with freckles - she lost her trail of thought for a while trying to count them, but the curious look he gave her when he caught her staring returned her to the ground.

"Almost never?"

"Well, I've got this feeling that every time I plan something really well, nothing goes my way, and it's like someone else´s plans take over instead and in the end I don't get to decide for my own life." The seriousness of his words were softened by the small smile that grew into a chuckle, "I guess it takes some of the pressure off, though."

Hermione looked into his eyes, "You mean it's better not to make plans?"

"No, but I think it's better not to make too many. It's nice to live in the moment sometimes."

She shivered when he held the eye contact. His eyes were darker than a moment ago. He was so much like Ron, and yet nothing like him. Charlie was a masculine grown-up man, who had seen the world and lived in it. Hermione had just finished her NEWTs and felt like a little girl next to him. She took another sip and let her eyes wonder. His shoulders were broad and a scar crossed his arm. His jeans were ripped just above his left knee and it draw her attention to his thighs, suddenly she wanted to run her hands over them instead of the kitchen counter, and she wondered briefly if the wine had gone to her head.

He finished his wine, set the glass down, and stood still. She watched him, as his eyes roamed over her body, and smirked only slightly when she realized he must have liked what he saw, for his eyes grew even darker.

She put her glass on the table, and took a few steps towards him. His eyes snapped to hers, surprised by the sudden closeness. She put her arms softly around him, and stood on her tip-toes to kiss his jaw. He closed his eyes, and tightened his grip on the counter behind him. She smiled at his stubble, and continued to slowly place small kisses to his jaw-line, moving to his cheek, the corner of his lips and finally she bit his earlobe gently. That drove Charlie over the edge and he pressed his lips over hers. The kiss was gentle at first, but grew more demanding quickly. She slid her hands under his shirt, feeling his broad back, as he cupped her bottom with his. She yelped with surprise as he turned them around and lifted her onto the counter. He ran his hands over her back, sending shivers through her, and she tugged at his hair, bringing him closer to her body.

Charlie broke the kiss, leaning back a bit, panting slightly. His hair was tousled and his lips were swollen.

"What was that?" he asked with a husky voice that warmed the pit of her stomach.

"Living in the moment, I guess."

"Mm, I like how you're open to ideas", he leaned to kiss her neck. "But,", his lips moved downwards to her chest, "If we continue, you should know that I only play for keeps."

She thought about his words for a moment, before placing her hands on his cheeks and pressing a kiss to his lips. "Let's play then."


End file.
